Zurich Die Metropole Die Suisse Vintage Travel Poster – Otto Baumberger – 1928
Zurich is known as the Metropolis of Switzerland. It is undoubtedly one of the world’s most beautiful and exciting city destinations. As this vintage Zurich travel poster shows, the city is perfectly located beside the sparkling blue waters of Lake Zurich near the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps. a beautiful and picturesque backdrop to the global economic powerhouse that is one of the richest cities on earth. The Swiss travel poster was created in 1928 to highlight Zurich as a popular elegant destination for the wealthy and well-travelled. A city resplendent with stunning architecture, historic sites, and buzzing cultural life.
The artist Otto Baumberger was responsible for creating this wonderful advert for the city. His superb illustration is portrayed in a style more akin to a colourful architect’s drawing than a painting. His image depicts part of the city, the lake and the Swiss mountains designed in a front elevation style. The drawing is a fairly accurate portrayal of the city and features several of Zurich’s most famous landmarks.
What is the name of the main cathedral in Zurich?
The main focus of Baumberger’s poster is given to the Grossmünster. It dominates his poster in much the same way the cathedral dominates the Swiss capital city. The Grossmünster is a 12th Century Romanesque-style church. It is Zurich’s most famous landmark and a real symbol of the city. As the poster depicts, the twin towers of the church Zurich skyline loom large over the left bank of the River Limmat.
The story of Felix and Regula is a popular one in Switzerland, and there are a number of places named after them in Zurich. According to the legend, the two brothers were part of the Theban Legion stationed in Valais. In 286 AD, the legion was ordered to be executed after they had converted to Christianity. In order to avoid this fate, the brothers fled to Zurich. However, they were both eventually caught and tried. Despite their pleas, they were both sentenced to death by beheading..
The legend continues that the Grossmünster was founded by Charlemagne. It is said that his horse fell to its knees over the tombs of the city’s patron saints, Felix and Regula. The incident inspired him to construct the cathedral on that very spot. Recent archaeological evidence confirms the presence of a Roman burial ground at the site.
Other historical buildings in the vintage Zurich poster
Other historical buildings are included in Baumberger’s impressive image. These include the red roof that leads you into the poster, which is that of the Rathaus, Zurich’s Town Hall. The Rathaus was built between 1694 and 1698 on the ban of the river Limmat, facing the Limmatquai (pedestrian area) at the Rathausbrücke pedestrian bridge, known locally as the Gmüesbrugg, meaning vegetable bridge. Since the first medieval bridge was built in 1375, it has been rebuilt on several occasions. The version in Otto Baumberger’s illustration was built from 1881 to 1893. However, the Rathausbrücke bridge in use today was completed in 1973. The Rathausbrücke is situated in the historical center of Zürich. It is the nearest of the two bridges that can be seen on the poster.
The Helmhaus Zürich is located just below the Grossmünster Cathedral in the heart of Zurich’s old town. It can be seen on the left-hand side of the bridge on the poster. The building’s open cloister on the ground floor of the Helmhaus was previously used as a courtroom and covered market. It is now an exhibition space for young Swiss artists. The Helmhaus and regularly features works by Swiss artists or creative artists living in Switzerland.
The second bridge in the poster is the Quaibrüke. It’s a road, tramway, pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the river Limmat, at the outflow of the Zürichsee or Lake Zurich. Beyond the Quaibrüke, Baumberger has included several yachts and boats sailing on the famous lake. The scene across the lake leads to the beautiful white mountain peaks of the Bernese Alps.
How much is Otto Baumberger’s Zurich poster worth?
Vintage travel posters can be incredibly valuable. For example, an LMS railway poster titled ‘Best Way’ by the artist AM Cassandre sold at auction for $162,500 way back in 2012. That was exceptional and an auction record for any travel poster. But many vintage travel posters range from £2000 to £25,000 and sometimes more.
There are several reasons that posters vary so much in value. In almost all cases, the condition of the poster is the most significant factor. A poster that is in mint condition will be worth more than one that is damaged or faded. In other cases, the value is due to the subject matter of the poster. Posters advertising famous or popular destinations are often highly sought-after, as are those created by iconic poster artists. Finally, rarity can also play a role in determining value. A poster that is one of a kind will obviously be worth more than one that was mass-produced. Ultimately, there is no single factor that determines the value of a vintage poster. Rather, it is a combination of all of these factors that makes some posters more valuable than others.
An original copy of this vintage Zurich poster by Otto Baumberger was listed in 2020 with a guide price of between $ 5,000 – $ 7,500.
There’s no argument from us, if you can find an original copy and can afford to buy it, you’re on to a winner. There’s nothing like owning an original vintage poster and they often make a great investment. Chances are in just a few years you’ll be able to sell it for more than you paid for it. Unfortunately, for most of us, an investment at this level isn’t even close to being a possibility. This is where our stunning high-quality reproductions come into their own. They cost a fraction of an original and look absolutely fantastic when they’re framed and hung on your living room wall.
So if you are looking for a reproduction vintage Zurich travel poster, you’ve found it! Our posters are printed on to premium 300gsm high quality, silk art paper and with our fast turnaround and delivery, they can be with you in just a few days. Order yours today, you won’t be disappointed!
Who is Otto Baumberger?
Otto Baumberger was born in Zurich in 1889. He served an apprenticeship as a lithographer and took courses at the Zurich Art School (Kunstgewerbeschule) from 1905 to 1907. After that, he studied at the Art Schools of Munich and Paris until 1910. From 1911 to 1913, he worked at the printing company J.E. Wolfensberger as a draughtsman and artistic director. Then, until the start of the First World War, he had his own studio for graphic design in Paris. From 1918 he worked for all the important printing companies in Zurich. From 1922 to 1927, he worked as an editor for the satire magazine “Nebelspalter”. From 1920 to 1932, he was a teacher for drawing and lithography at the Zurich Art School, and then he was a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology until 1959.
Otto Baumberger’s first posters were created in 1911. However, his most productive period for posters was from the 1920s to the mid-1930s. He created about 230 posters in all, many of which he lithographed himself. An important representative of Swiss Expressionism, he is one of the most well-known and prolific Swiss poster designers and created many remarkable, creative posters in a large variety of styles.
Our posters are carefully and professionally created from vintage originals. Whilst great care is taken in the production of these posters, we also try to maintain a vintage feel, so there may be small imperfections, fold marks, scuffs, tears, or marks that were part of the original poster master. If these do appear they should be visible on the larger views of the item on this listing. The originals of many of the posters we offer can cost many thousands of pounds, so whilst these posters look great, especially framed and mounted on a wall, they are intended as fun, affordable reproductions and not intended fine art prints.
The 50x70cm version has been specially produced to be used in conjunction with Ikea’s 50x70cm Ribba picture frame which currently retails for around £15. So you can bag a bargain of print and frame for a great price.
